A Saint John woman has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years after she admitted she killed a man last summer.Jinelle Suzanne Thompson, 46, appeared Tuesday in Saint John Court of King’s Bench remotely by video from custody. She was originally charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty in May to the lesser offence of second-degree murder in the death of Allan Lee.The body of the 52-year-old was discovered in a wooded area on the western outskirts of the city, near Lorneville, on Aug. 1, 2024.Lee was a father, partner and chimney-business owner.WATCH | Judge considered Thompson’s background in sentencing: Woman gets life sentence for fatal stabbing of Saint John manJinelle Thompson, a former accountant and nurse, was sentenced for the 2024 murder of Allan Lee. A publication ban prohibits reporting any facts related to the offence, such as how Lee died or why Thompson killed him. That’s because two men who are also charged haven’t been tried yet.But Thompson has expressed remorse and accepted responsibility for her actions, according to a pre-sentence report submitted to the court.She “had no right to take a life,” the mother of one with no prior criminal record told the probation officer who prepared the report.She “would change it if she could.”Second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence, but how long an offender must serve before they become eligible for parole can range from 10 to 25 years.Allan (Al) Christopher Lee, 52, of Saint John, was a father of two, according to his obituary. (Brenan’s Funeral Home)Justice Kathryn Gregory based her decision in part on the pre-sentence report, which she described as “generally a positive one.”It indicates Thompson worked as an accountant for Irving Oil for about 14 years, then worked in nursing at the Saint John Regional Hospital for a number of years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.Thompson “had issues with prescription drug misuse” after being prescribed opioids for pain in her neck and back, and she has been diagnosed with symptoms of manic depression and borderline personality disorder, according to the report.Life spiralled downward after death of motherHer close friend Tina McGraw told the parole officer she “never would have conceived of [Thompson] being involved in anything like this.”McGraw described Thompson as “a genuinely good person who would do anything she could to help someone out” and a positive support in her life.She knew Thompson was using drugs though — cocaine and crack, according to the report.Thompson took the death of her mother in July, a month before the murder, “very hard” and was “struggling with the grief of this loss,” McGraw said.She also had “a lot of trauma as a child,” which she “never really dealt with,” she said.’Rough childhood’Thompson told the parole officer she had “a bit of a rough childhood.” She grew up in the presence of addiction and abuse and “alluded to being sexually abused … when she was young.”Her parents separated when she was about 12, and she lived with her stay-at-home mother in Saint John.When things “got bad,” Thompson would go to live with her paternal grandparents in Cambridge-Narrows for a while before eventually returning.At 14, she moved out on her own.She became a “binge drinker” when she was young, “but ultimately ‘backed away’ from using alcohol when she felt it was becoming problematic for her,” according to the report.Her relationship with her mother “remained damaged for several years,” but they did reconcile later in life and remained close” until her mother’s death, the report says.’Trail of devastation’The Crown and defence both recommended the minimum 10 years for parole ineligibility and Gregory agreed, based on Thompson’s character, the circumstances of her crime, and the impact it has had.Lee’s mother “cannot comprehend the killing and is tortured with the question, why?” the judge said, referring to the victim impact statements submitted to the court last month.One of his daughters has “slipped back into an addiction she had, up until Lee’s death, managed to control.”And the “trauma and agony” of his partner, who was pregnant with their daughter at the time, “is clear,” Gregory said, as Thompson sat with her eyes downcast.”As with any killing, the emotional shrapnel and trail of devastation is widespread and unrelenting.”The sentence must be severe enough to denounce the offence, Gregory said, but must not exceed what is just and appropriate given the moral blameworthiness of the offender and the gravity of the offence.”Proportionality in sentencing is considered to be an essential factor in maintaining public confidence in the fairness and rationality of the criminal justice system.”In addition to the 10-year parole ineligibility, Gregory also ordered Thompson not to possess any firearms or weapons for 10 years and to provide a DNA sample.No guarantee of paroleThe judge stressed to Lee’s family that parole is not guaranteed and that Thompson’s sentence is for life.”Miss Thompson will never have total freedom again,” she said.”She will forever be subject to the supervision first of Correctional Services Canada and if or when granted parole, she will be subject to the supervision of the Parole Board of Canada.”The “threat of reincarceration should a condition be breached hangs over the offender at all times,” Gregory said, quoting from a Supreme Court of Canada decision.Mother seeks ‘some peace’Several of Lee’s loved ones were in court for the hearing, including his partner, Jordan Morehouse, and their infant daughter, named Alynn in his honour, and his mother, Lorraine Jessome.”I just know that she’s going to be away for a while,” Jessome, 71, told CBC News outside the courthouse. “And I just want some peace to get my life together again because I’m not doing very well.”I’m just going to carry on. That’s all I can do.”Lee’s mother Lorraine Jessome said she plans to return to court next August when Thompson’s two co-accused are scheduled to be tried. (Roger Cosman/CBC)This case isn’t over for the family though.Thompson’s co-accused — Charles Pleasance, 58, and Stephen Chester Martin, 66 — who are each charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder for allegedly assisting her to escape, aren’t scheduled to face a jury trial until August 2026.
Saint John woman sentenced to life without parole for 10 years for murder
